New Guinea Impatiens plant named ‘Visinfwhi’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of New Guinea  Impatiens  plant named ‘Visinfwhi’, characterized by its rounded and upright plant from; vigorous and freely branching growth habit; dark green-colored foliage; freely flowering habit with flowers held above and beyond the foliage; and large white-colored flowers.

Botanical classification/cultivar designation: Impatiens hawkeri cultivar Visinfwhi.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of New Guinea Impatiens plant, botanically known as Impatiens hawkeri, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name Visinfwhi.

The new Impatiens is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Gensingen, Germany. The objective of the breeding program is to develop new vigorous New Guinea Impatiens cultivars with large flowers and interesting and unique flower and foliage colors.

The new Impatiens originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in September, 2001, of a proprietary Impatiens hawkeri selection identified as code number 01-566, not patented, as the female, or seed parent, with a proprietary Impatiens hawkeri selection identified as 01-699, not patented, as the male, or pollen parent. The cultivar Visinfwhi was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled environment in Gensingen, Germany in March, 2002.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings at Gensingen, Germany, since March, 2002, has shown that the unique features of this new Impatiens are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Visinfwhi’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Visinfwhi’ as a new and distinct Impatiens cultivar:

-   -   1. Rounded and upright plant form.     -   2. Vigorous and freely branching growth habit.     -   3. Dark green-colored foliage.     -   4. Freely flowering habit with flowers held above and beyond the         foliage.     -   5. Large white-colored flowers.

Plants of the new Impatiens differ from plants of the female parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Impatiens have larger flowers than plants         of the female parent selection.     -   2. Plants of the new Impatiens are more freely flowering than         plants of the female parent selection.

Plants of the new Impatiens differ from plants of the male parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Impatiens are more vigorous than plants of         the male parent selection.     -   2. Plants of the new Impatiens are more uniform than plants of         the male parent selection.

Plants of the new Impatiens can be compared to plants of the cultivar Moorea, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,147. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Gensingen, Germany, plants of the new Impatiens differed from plants of the cultivar Moorea in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Impatiens were more rounded than plants of         the cultivar Moorea.     -   2. Plants of the new Impatiens were more freely branching than         plants of the cultivar Moorea.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which more accurately describe the actual colors of the new Impatiens.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Visinfwhi’ grown in a container.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet comprises a close-up view of typical flowers and leaves of ‘Visinfwhi’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The cultivar Visinfwhi has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype. The aforementioned photographs and the following observations and measurements describe plants grown in Bonsall, Calif., during the summer under commercial pratice in a polypropylene-covered shadehouse providing 50% light reduction with day temperatures ranging from 21 to 35° C. and night temperatures ranging from 18 to 24° C. Plants used in the photographs and following description were about ten weeks old and grown in 15.25-cm containers with one plant per container.

In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Impatiens hawkeri cultivar Visinfwhi. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary Impatiens hawkeri             selection identified as code number 01-566, not patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Proprietary Impatiens hawkeri             selection identified as code number 01-699, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type cutting.—Terminal cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About 10 days at 18° C.         -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About 14 days at 18° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted cutting or liner, summer.—About 14             days at 18° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted cutting or liner, winter.—About 18             days at 18° C.         -   Root description.—Fine and freely branching; white in color. -   Plant description:     -   -   General appearance.—Rounded and upright; vigorous growth             habit.         -   Growth and branching habit.—Freely branching with about             seven lateral branches developing at the base, dense and             bushy growth. Pinching, that is, removal of the terminal             apices, is typically not required.         -   Plant height.—About 17 cm.         -   Plant diameter.—About 29 cm.         -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 14 cm. Diameter: About 6 mm.             Internode length: About 3.5 cm. Texture: Smooth, glabrous.             Color: 144A.         -   Foliage description.—Arrangement: Opposite or in whorls;             simple. Length: About 8.8 cm. Width: About 3.2 cm. Shape:             Elliptic. Apex: Acuminate. Base: Attenuate. Margin:             Serrulate with ciliation. Texture, upper and lower surfaces:             Smooth, glabrous. Color: Developing foliage, upper surface:             147A. Developing foliage, lower surface: 147B. Fully             expanded foliage, upper surface: Darker than 147A. Fully             expanded foliage, lower surface: 147B. Venation, upper             surface: 147D. Venation, lower surface: 147C. Petiole:             Length: About 1.5 cm. Diameter: About 4 mm. Texture, upper             and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color, upper and lower             surfaces: 147C. -   Flower description:     -   -   Flower type and flowering habit.—Single axillary flowers.             Freely flowering, usually about nine to eleven flowers and             flower buds per lateral branch. Flowers positioned above and             beyond the foliage and typically face upward or outward.             Flowers mostly flat; roughly rounded in shape. Flowers last             about seven days on the plant. Petals self-cleaning;             gynoecium persistent. Flowers not fragrant.         -   Flowering season.—Year-round under greenhouse conditions. In             the garden, flowering from spring until fall.         -   Flower height.—About 5 cm.         -   Flower width.—About 4.7 cm.         -   Flower depth.—About 3 cm.         -   Flower buds (at stage of showing color).—Length: About             1.7 cm. Diameter: About 1.1 cm. Shape: Ovoid. Color: 155A.         -   Petals.—Quantity: Single, five per flower. Length: Banner             petal: About 2.2 cm. Lateral petals: About 2.5 cm. Base             petals: About 2.8 cm. Width: Banner petal: About 3 cm.             Lateral petals: About 2.3 cm. Base petals: About 2.6 cm.             Shape: Cordate. Apex: Emarginate. Base: Acute. Margin:             Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth; velvety.             Color: When opening, upper surface: 155A. When opening,             lower surface: 155D. Fully opened, upper surface: 155B;             towards the base, 157A. Fully opened, lower surface: 155D.         -   Spur.—Length: About 4.8 cm. Diameter, at flower base: About             2 mm. Diameter, at apex: Less than 1 mm. Texture: Smooth,             glabrous. Color: 145B to 145C.         -   Peduncles.—Length: About 3.4 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm.             Strength: Strong. Angle: About 45° from vertical. Texture:             Smooth, glabrous. Color: 144A.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Stamen number: Five fused             at anthers, filaments free. Anther shape: Obovate. Anther             size: About 3 mm by 4 mm. Anther color: 158A. Amount of             pollen: Moderate. Pollen color: 155A. Gynoecium: Pistil             length: About 4 mm. Stigma shape: Rounded. Stigma color:             157A. Style color: 144A. Ovary color: 144A.         -   Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit development has not been             observed. -   Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the new Impatiens have not been     observed to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to Impatiens. -   Temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Impatiens have been     observed to tolerate temperatures from 5 to 35° C. 

1. A new and distinct cultivar of New Guinea Impatiens plant named ‘Visinfwhi’, as illustrated and described. 